Tuesdays with Story

Tuesdays With Story

November 16, 2021

A mistake for authors is defining their author platform as a list of people to market their next book on social media.

If you view your author platform as nothing more than transactional relationships, it will fail. If you view it primarily as sharing your heart and caring for a group of people, it will have far more value and possibly be responsive when you have a book. 

Dan Balow, Steve Laube Literary Agency

Here’s who presented Tuesday evening

Kashmira Sheth (chapters 1-2 rewrite, Nina Soni, Best Hostess) – Kashmira submitted two chapters of Nina Soni, Best Hostess. Most of the comments were positive. There were some questions about how to make the flow of a story better. This was a revised submission and overall the revision worked well. Everyone preferred the title Nina Soni, Best Hostess over Nina Soni, Perfect Hostess. 

Jaime Nelson Noven (chapters 1-2, rewrite, New York, After All) – We looked at a draft of the first chapter of this novel-in-progress, and it was generally agreed that the character’s emotions and drive/goal need to be established sooner. John suggested that the opening sentences did not orient us in the way they were meant to. He likes the protagonist’s name, Lindyhop, and suggested getting that in sooner. Bob really enjoyed the scene with the shark meat. Kashmira is enjoying the voice and humor. Thanks, all.

Larry Sommers (chapter 1 rewrite and chapter 2, memoir) – Everybody seemed to enjoy my Teddy’s-eye view of the world. There was some feeling I have injected too many apologetic notes into Chapter 1. Mike wanted more details on Dale Price and also my mother’s furniture refurbishing compulsion.

John Schneller (chapter 25, Precious Daughter) – Many points of clarification were identified. When and how does the music/ beat of the drum come and go? Does the staff (Winroc) act on its own (magical)? What names are interchangeable for cutting weapons….blade, short sword, dagger?

The dynamic that Kotel doesn’t kill anyone during the fight continues to disappoint(?)…or at least mislead some of the nicest readers in the world. I need to clarify this so the not so nice readers don’t give a one star review. Thanks!

Mike Austin (short story, “House Moving”, rewrite) – I received some really great input and suggestions for “House Moving.” I see that I need to look at some of my word choices and sentence structure, and give some information on the house itself, how Eddie came to be the person moving it. I also need to introduce their husband and wife status earlier on. There were wonderful suggestions regarding the ending, that it might be more powerfully ended with her watching the fire, and that at some point the narrator needs to choose to either remain invisible or become solid or whole. Thanks everyone for your comments and encouragement. 

Jerry Peterson (chapters 33-34a, Night Flight) – John, Kashmira, and Jaime are in agreement that Rooster’s anger at Sammy for murdering his (Rooster’s) sister is such that he has to try to pummel him, kill him, when he springs Sammy from jail, that others in the lynch mob have to restrain Rooster, have to hold him back. Larry wants the scene with the county attorney trying to get up on the wagon in Grumble Jones’ hay barn shortened. “It slows the scene,” he said. John felt Quill Rose—the sheriff—would guess that Rooster and a lynch mob would be coming for Sammy when the county judge gets Sammy’s murder trial transferred to another judge in another county, that Quill would be waiting at the courthouse for the mob. “Rose has to be called away for it to be believable that he’s not there,” John said.

December 7, here are our presenters

Bob Kralapp (???)

Kashmira Sheth (chapters, Nina Soni, Best Hostess)

John Schneller (chapter, Precious Daughter)

Jerry Peterson (chapters 31-32, Night Flight)

Amber Boudreau Dragoneer chapters 37-39

Amit ???

Fifth Tuesday, November 29

No, not gonna happen. The group on Tuesday evening made the decision to cancel.

Come the evening of the 29th, stay home, hug your computer, and write. That’s what we writers do when we get a free evening, write.

Our editor

Mike Austin is back. He will edit the December issues of Writer’s Mail. You have something good you’d like him to include in our first December issue? Do email it to Mike.

 

 

From Larry: As a follow up to my piece in the last newsletter about the Random Penguin Simon and Schuster antitrust case, here are two articles that give useful background:

https://insize.org/monopoly-s-bad-cousin-22165.html is a truncation of a New York Times piece that is available in a longer version behind the NYT paywall.

https://www.idealog.com/blog/doubts-about-the-department-of-justices-objection-to-the-prh-acquisition-of-ss/ is an analysis, somewhat disputing the NYT piece, by a long-time industry observer. 

Hope some members may find these pieces enlightening. I know I did.

 

The most bizarre grammar rule you probably never heard of

It concerns the use of adjectives, and it’s going to surprise you. Here’s the link to the story: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/this-is-the-most-bizarre-grammar-rule-you-probably-never-heard-of?utm_source=pocket-newtab

It’s here at last!

80 Candles, Jerry Peterson’s mammoth collection of short stories. Four hundred forty pages, yes. You’ve read and critiqued many of the stories, and your critiques have made those stories better.

Jerry and Marge will host a Christmas open house at their home in Janesville on Sunday afternoon, December 12, at which Jerry will introduce the book to close fans.

You want to be there to get your copy? Send Jerry a note at jerrypetersonbooks@gmail.com and he will send you an invitation.